Description
Activists from the 150-member Muscatine Community Effort Organization (CEO) worked to expose poor working and living conditions for migrant workers and their children in the Muscatine area. Activists from CEO joined forces with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to support the national protest for the rights of grape pickers in California and criticize the company responsible for poor conditions endured by migrant workers in Iowa in order to gain support for two bills pending in the Iowa state legislature. The 1969 passage of House File 146 strengthened the 1967 law that regulated migrant child labor in Iowa while the passage of House File 317 established minimum housing standards for migrant workers employed seasonally on Iowa farms.
Transcript of Muscatine Community Effort Organization News Release
Source-Dependent Questions
- What was the goal of the boycott called for in the news release?
- How was boycotting a corporation an effective means of protest? How was this an effective means of ensuring "the voice of RAZA being heard?"
- Consider the imagery used to describe the housing situation for migrant workers. How could using such strong imagery help the cause for migrant workers? Why are emotional appeals like this typically present in protests?
Citation Information
"Muscatine Community Effort Organization (CEO) News Article on the Boycott of Heinz," Iowa Women's Archives, 1969. Courtesy of University of Iowa Libraries and Archives